chief criminal; principal culprit
Tone colorsmāmámǎmàma
Meanings
1 sense · 3 examplesnoun
chief criminal; principal culprit; arch-villain
literaryLiterary term referring to the primary instigator or most wicked person in a group, as opposed to coerced followers.
Yuán元
è恶
bì必
zhū诛
，
xié胁
cóng从
wǎng罔
zhì治
。
The chief criminals must be punished, while the coerced followers shall go unpunished.
Cǐ此
yuán元
è恶
bù不
chú除
，
zhōng终
wéi为
guó国
jiā家
zhī之
huàn患
。
If this arch-villain is not removed, he will eventually become a calamity for the nation.
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Tā他
nǎi乃
yuán元
è恶
，
bù不
kě可
qīng轻
ráo饶
。
He is the principal culprit and must not be let off lightly.